The 1% Club Contestants Win A Share Of £94,000 After Confusing Final Question Leaves ITV Viewers Divided

Five contestants cracked the final challenge on The 1% Club, but the question sparked a debate among viewers at home, with some struggling to understand how the answer could be so simple.

The ITV quiz show returned on Saturday, April 6, 2024, with host Lee Mack putting another group of contestants through their paces. This time, an impressive six players made it all the way to the final round, giving them a chance to walk away with a share of the prize money.

They faced a difficult decision: split their accumulated winnings between them or risk everything by attempting the show’s notoriously challenging 1% question, designed to test the logic of the nation’s sharpest minds.

Five contestants ultimately got the answer right, securing a share of the £94,000 prize. However, the puzzle proved more divisive among viewers watching at home, with some praising its simplicity while others admitted they found it confusing.

The Final Question That Divided Viewers

The challenge revolved around a grid containing numbers from 1 to 49, arranged in ascending order. Contestants had just 30 seconds to work out where a series of abbreviated directions would lead them.

Lee Mack, 55, introduced the puzzle with the following question:

“Starting on 25, the middle square, SEEN takes you to square 27. From there, NEW takes you to 20. From there, which square does SEWN take you to?”

With the clock ticking, the six remaining contestants had to decipher the abbreviations and follow the movements across the numbered grid.

The key was recognising that the letters represented compass directions. Once the route was understood, the solution depended on tracing each movement in the correct order rather than simply guessing which number came next.

The Answer Was 20, But Could You Work It Out?

Of the six contestants, only one failed to reach the correct answer.

The first player to respond guessed 12, but quickly acknowledged that she had made a mistake. The next contestant, however, correctly identified the answer as 20, and the four players who followed gave the same response.

Their success meant all five correct contestants became members of The 1% Club and shared the £94,000 prize equally, taking home £18,800 each.

The reasoning behind the answer was straightforward once the directions were understood. Starting from square 20, moving South, then East, then West, and finally North brings you back to the original position. The East and West movements cancel each other out, as do the South and North movements.

That leaves the contestant on the same square where the sequence began: 20.

Viewers Share Their Verdict On The Puzzle

The question prompted a mixed response on X, formerly Twitter, where viewers shared their thoughts on the latest episode.

Some believed the puzzle was surprisingly easy for a question supposedly designed for just 1% of the population.

One viewer commented: “That must have been the easiest 1% question in series so far.”

Others had a very different experience, admitting that the wording and abbreviated compass directions had left them scratching their heads.

“I was so confused by this question,” one viewer wrote.

Another admitted to choosing the wrong number despite recognising what the puzzle was asking them to do.

“I got it wrong (25) but did know it was to do with compass points,” they explained.

The contrasting reactions highlighted how a question that appears straightforward to some can still catch others out, particularly when the pressure of a 30-second countdown comes into play.

Why Lee Mack Loves The 1% Club’s Logic-Based Questions

For Lee Mack, the appeal of the ITV quiz lies in its emphasis on reasoning rather than conventional general knowledge.

The comedian and presenter has previously explained that even he found the questions challenging when he first encountered them.

“That’s what I really like about The 1% Club. Producers shared some questions with me and if I’d been able to get them all right, I probably wouldn’t have done the show. But I quickly realised if someone gets these right, they’re a proper brainbox,” he said.

Lee also explained how the format differs from traditional quiz shows, where success often depends on remembering specific facts.

“Most quizzes use traditional questions, general knowledge style.

“You either know them or you don’t straight away. But what’s good about The 1% Club is the questions are about logic. If you don’t know straight away and your brain is quick enough, you can try to work it out in the 30 seconds you have to answer.”

He believes the format gives contestants with different educational backgrounds an opportunity to demonstrate their intelligence.

“Intelligence and knowledge can be quite different things — people who aren’t academic can have high IQs and this is more logic-based than just remembering facts.”

Lee even revealed that he struggled to reach the show’s most difficult level himself.

“I’m not going to lie, I went through the whole series without getting a 1%. The best I did was a 5% question,” he admitted.

Can You Beat The 1% Club?

The latest episode demonstrated how quickly a seemingly complicated puzzle can become manageable once its underlying logic clicks into place. Yet the split reaction from viewers showed that not everyone arrived at the same conclusion within the time limit.

For those who enjoy testing their reasoning skills, the show offers plenty of opportunities to tackle questions that range from relatively accessible challenges to puzzles designed to stump almost everyone.

The 1% Club airs on Saturdays at 8:35pm on ITV, with episodes available to stream on ITVX.